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Adas Torah Journal of Torah Ideas • NITZACHONניצחון Adas Torah Journal of Torah Ideas Dedicated in memory of Rabbi Dovid Landesman zt”l הרב דוד בן אריה זצ"ל VOLUME 3:2 • Spring - Summer 5776 • LOS ANGELES Nitzachon Adas Torah Journal of Torah Ideas Volume 3:2 Spring-Summer 5776 Adas Torah 1135 South Beverly Drive Los Angeles, CA 90035 www.adastorah.org [email protected] (310) 228-0963 Rabbi Dovid Revah, Rav and Mara D’Asra Alan Rich, President Nitzachon Editorial Team Michael Kleinman, General Editor Yaakov Siegel, General Editor Yaakov Rich, General Editor Peninah Rothner, Copy Editor Rob Shur, Design and Layout www.rbscreative.com VOLUME 3:2 • SPRING - SummeR 5776 ראש וראשון Rabbi Dovid Revah: Tisha B’Av: The Beginning of the Redemption ..................................................................................... p. 11 Rabbi Nachum Sauer: Guest Contributor Purim and the Techeiles of Mordechai ..................................................................................... p. 17 Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom: Guest Contributor Mordechai Would not Bow nor Prostrate Himself ..................................................................................... p. 21 שפתי ישנים Rabbi Dovid Landesman zt”l: A.Y. Karelitz, M.D. ..................................................................................... p. 35 Rabbi Dovid Landesman zt”l: The Cowboy and the Beemer ..................................................................................... p. 41 PURIM Rabbi Yaakov Siegel: Je Suis Esther – The Story Shared by Esther and Every Person’s Neshama ..................................................................................... p. 47 Rabbi Aaron Katz: In Search of the Greater Mitzva ..................................................................................... p. 57 Rabbi Raphael Stohl: The Jewish Politician – Are We to Scoff at Evil or Work with it? ..................................................................................... p. 63 Dovid Levine: Let Us All Drink and be Merry ..................................................................................... p. 69 Rachel Margolies: The Haman Complex ..................................................................................... p. 73 Avigail Manheim: Esther’s Transformation ..................................................................................... p. 79 Daniel Margolies: Mazel, Wealth, and the Power to Change it All ..................................................................................... p. 85 Daniel Wiesel: Achashveirosh: Clueless Figurehead and Rash Actor, or Machiavellian Political Mastermind? ..................................................................................... p. 93 3 ניצחון • NITZACHON VOLUME 3:2 • SPRING - SummeR 5776 PESACH Rabbi Yisroel Gordon: Firewater from Heaven: The Red Sea, the Ten Plagues, and World Peace ..................................................................................... p. 105 Rabbi Zvi Schindel: “Monuments of Unageing Intellect” The Obligation to Visit One’s Rebbe During Yom Tov ..................................................................................... p. 117 Dr. Daniel Wohlgelernter: There Will Be Blood: Dam Pesach & Dam Bris Mila ..................................................................................... p. 125 Zoe Mendelsohn: Bnei Yisrael were Slaves in Egypt –True or False? ..................................................................................... p. 131 Robert Millman: New Clothes for Passover ..................................................................................... p. 133 Henry Manoucheri: Slavery and Freedom: Pesach Highlights ..................................................................................... p. 137 Dr. Michael Kleinman: Why Pharaoh Needed an Eye Doctor Instead of a Cardiologist ..................................................................................... p. 145 SHAVUOS Rabbi David Mahler: Remembering the Sinai Experience and its Profound Chinuch Lessons ..................................................................................... p. 153 Yaakov Zuber: Shavuos – The Ultimate Marriage ..................................................................................... p. 157 Eli Snyder: Dairy, to the Contrary ..................................................................................... p. 161 Avi Azizi: The Mothers of Kings ..................................................................................... p. 165 David R. Schwarcz: Supernal Debate: Did Moshe Unilaterally Change the Date of Matan Torah? ..................................................................................... p. 169 BEIN HAMITZARIM Rabbi Pinchas Gelb: Chazon: Shabbos of Vision ..................................................................................... p. 177 Adiv Pachter: The Moed of Tisha B’av ..................................................................................... p. 183 Daniel Nagel: The Comfort of Destruction ..................................................................................... p. 187 Yaakov Rich: Remembering the Plight of the Jews in the Great War ..................................................................................... p. 191 ניצחון • NITZACHON 4 VOLUME 3:2 • SPRING - SummeR 5776 Editors’ Preface We are dedicating this issue of Nitzachon in honor of Rabbi Dovid Landesman, zt”l, the beloved former principal of YULA who returned to Israel several years ago and passed away suddenly this past year. Rabbi Landesman was a great Rebbe and mentor to many of the members of our kehilla and he had a profound positive impact on so many of our lives. This issue’s Sifsei Y’sheinim section features two articles previously published by Rabbi Landesman, prefaced by a biography authored by his close talmid, Rabbi Aaron Katz. Rabbi Nachum Sauer and Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom, close colleagues of Rabbi Landesman for many years at YULA, have contributed articles and dedications in his honor, which we have included in the Rosh V’rishon section. We have also included articles and dedications that we have received from his students both here and in Israel. We would like to express hakaras hatov to Rabbi Katz for his vital help in selecting the articles by Rabbi Landesman and coordinating the dedications. Rabbi Landesman spent his entire career encouraging and inspiring his talmidim to learn and live lives of Torah. May this journal be an aliya for his neshama and a source of nechama to his family. Michael Kleinman Yaakov Siegel Yaakov Rich 5 ניצחון • NITZACHON DEDICATIONS IN MEMORY OF RABBI DOVID LANDESMAN ZT”L Gold Daniel and Alyssa Barzideh Jacob and Jaclyn Fishbein Brian and Lesley Kleinman Robert and Judy Millman Daniel and Annie Nagel Dr. Ron and Cheryl Nagel Jona and Rachel Rechnitz Rafi and Elimor Ryzman Dr. Sina Refahzadeh ניצחון • NITZACHON 6 DEDICATIONS IN MEMORY OF RABBI DOVID LANDESMAN ZT”L Silver Dr. Yakov and Ariella Agatstein Ari Barzideh Rabbi Abraham and Rosalyn Cooper Rebecca and Evan Goldenberg Rabbi Daniel and Ruthy Grama Dr. Ernie and Frieda Katz Dr. Michael and Tally Kleinman Asher and Sharon Levine Dovid and Daphna Levine Anonymous 7 ניצחון • NITZACHON DEDICATIONS IN MEMORY OF RABBI DOVID LANDESMAN ZT”L Bronze Asher and Nina Adler Rabbi Rafi and Rachel Abraham Rabbi Doron and Menucha Beckerman Dr. Mark and Deborah Goldenberg Rabbi Aaron and Molly Katz Yitzy and Gila Katz Johnny and Caroline Sasoones Joey and Dana Small Yoni and Rita Statman Rabbi Jeremy and Aviva Stern Rabbi Dr. Zev and Lisa Wiener ניצחון • NITZACHON 8 ראש וראשון • Rabbi Dovid Revah Rabbi Nachum Sauer Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom Guest Contributors RaBBI DOVid REVah Tisha B’Av: The Beginning of the Redemption Rabbi Dovid Revah • ost of us experience Tisha B’Av, when we focus on mourning the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, as the lowest point of the Jewish calendar. At the same time, Tisha B’Av is more than just a day of mourning. Megillas Eicha Mrefers to Tisha B’Av as a moed and because of that, we do not say tachanun. Within the sadness, there is also a message of hope. The following elucidation of agemara by the Chasam Sofer highlights these two dimensions of Tisha B’Av. The mishna in Maseches Ta’anis (27b) says that on the Seventeenth of Tamuz the armies besieging Yerushalayim breached the walls of the city. On the Ninth of Av, after three weeks of street fighting, they destroyed theBeis HaMikdash. In Sefer Yirmiyahu, a different date is given for the breaching of the walls – the ninth of Tamuz. Both the Talmud Bavli and the Talmud Yerushalmi discuss this question. TheBavli in Maseches Ta’anis (28b) asks הובקעה העיר בשבעה עשר הוה? והכתיב בחדש הרביעי בתשעה לחדש ויחזק הרעב בעיר, וכתיב בתריה ותבקע העיר וגו’! - אמר רבא: לא קשיא; כאן - בראשונה, כאן - בשניה. דתניא: בראשונה הובקעה העיר בתשעה בתמוז, בשניה בשבעה עשר בו. How can the mishna say the city was breached on the Seventeenth of Tamuz while the pasuk in Sefer Yirmiyahu (Perek 52) says that it occurred on the ninth of Tamuz? Rava answers that the Navi is referring to the first Beis HaMikdash while the mishna is referring to the second Beis HaMikdash. The Ramban explains that today we are directly affected by the destruction of the second Beis HaMikdash and should therefore fast on the day of the breaching of the wall of the second Beis HaMikdash, not the first.1 1 There is an obvious difficulty. The fast of Shiva Assar B’Tamuz was mandated by Navithe Zecharia (Zecharia Ch. 8) after the destruction of the firstBeis HaMikdash and was observed on
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